Page 29 - SEO Mad Scientist 2020 Report

Test Results: March 20, 2020

After the original setup, test #2: Mimic Image Snippet was a go, but when we checked, our test
site had already pulled snippets for all our main keywords. This was obviously a surprise because
we just launched the site, using our free content method mentioned above, and implemented
basic image optimization, headings, and inner linking. Nothing special (we thought).

The image snippet test is therefore inconclusive since we were not able to run it. We will continue
to test image and video embeds in future projects - we believe it can be impactful. Since the
snippet triggered early, we refined the test to try to change the rich snippet.

How Can You Change the Image Snippet? (3 Test Variations)

Test Setup: March 20, 2020

We reviewed the other test sites that showed an image snippet and compiled a list of
optimization that could possibly influence it being shown. The main potential influences were:

● Variation of terms in headings and content before the image
● Variation of terms in content after image
● Image name using exact keyword or variation of terms (even if not the image name but
keywords within the image URL)
● Alt Text Variation of the target term
● Image Title matching alt text
● Image size 400 px by 400 px (rough average but found instances where banner images
were skipped on a snippet for a smaller square image on the page)
● Use the same image across multiple "related" pages on the website

In our review, we did come across SERPs that NO websites displayed an image snippet. And
even using the methods above we could not trigger a snippet. This led us to believe Google’s
machine learning and AI is mostly responsible for these snippets, which would explain why some
search terms that aren’t yet fully understood wouldn’t show a snippet.

If you look at the list above, you will notice that exact match keywords are not a big part of the
optimization. Even the URL where the image was hosted seemed to be considered, which is why
image names seemed to vary widely from snippet to snippet…

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